Feeding apparatus



Nov. 29, 1949 A. G. SHERMAN FEEDING APPARATUS Nov. 29, 1949 Filed Oct. 6, 1945 A. G. SHERMAN FEEDING APPARATUS 2 sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR H. G. Sherman uit mb ATTORNEYS Patented Nov. 29, 1949 PATENT oFFlCE 2,489,594 ,FEEDIING APPeeerus Arthur G. Sherman, "lfracy, Calif. applicati@ october@ 1945; sedano." ,man

,'Ihisnvntion relates generally to an improved material 'feeding apparatus, and in particular vthe inn t'on directfed.to,and it iisl kan object to pro dejnovel apparatus'ffor feeding material, such 'as out `greenalfalfa'ironia receiving bin or pit teaid eh'ydrator'or other processing station.

Another .object of `this ,invention is to provide macenallfeedins apparatus. as in the preceding paragraph, vvl'iich ,is operative to receive, inter.- mittently, truck Vloadsfoi ,the material and Vto thereafter power convey lsuch material in Ya man'- ner so that vintermittently received loads are spread out for constant land even delivery from the apparatustothe dehydrator, whereby surges of ,excess material followed by substantially a stoppage of delivery are avoided, las is desirable for practical and efficient operation of dehydrators.

A iurther object of the invention is to provide mater' vl'eeding apparatus,l of the type described, which', includes a 'pair of v"horizontal endlessr conveyors, 'Qrie1delivering'to the other, with a feed regiilatinfgrtary gate cooperating with said one ndlesslponveyor adjacent `its Adischarge end, and the other yendless conveyor delivering to .an up",- ivardly'inclined elevator ccnveyorhaving arotary material 'spreader unit cooperating therewith; all whereby the material may be delivered to the dehydrator in a constant stream spread out to a predetermined thickness.

A further object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive device, and yet one which Will be exceedingly effective for 'the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects are accomplished by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specication and lclaim.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus.

Figure 2 is a transverse section on line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Referring now more particularly to the characters of reference on the drawings, the numeral I indicates a horizontally elongated open topped pit or Ichannel-like container having a relatively elevated ramp 2 extending alongside thereof, whereby a truck 3 on said ramp may discharge its load into the pit I. In the present embodiment the truck 3 is shown as including a dump body 4, which can readily discharge its load into the pit.

Adjacent the bottom of the pit I there is a i claim. (c1. issn-fm2) horizgntal, elongated endless belt conveyor 5 supported at intervals"atN spaced points alongthe iengrn by standards k,6. T neendless beu ef the conveyor 5 includes crosslcleatsl thereon, and 5 saidconveyor is'cdri'ven, from'one end and in une direction indicated by the karrow in Fig. '1. by means'of an electric :motor ,8 coupled to said co eyo'r by a 'pulley and belt assembly, indicated gneauyat s; I

ilfbalile i3 extends Vacross the pit I above the leal fend ci th upfper run ofthe endless belt c viveyojr 5, while at ,the opposite ordischarge ndof 1'said con 'eyor tliere'is mounted a lcooperating retary'gateyindicated generally at Il, and whichlconiprises the 'ffoll'owingt z. lieyornd thedischarge .end of the endless .belt conveyqrf there isan ups'tanding frame I2` in which' a .relatively ,.lalrge .diameter cylinder I3 'is supporte onVaAhcrizontal'transverse axis; the cylinder' being ofja Ilength atleast equal to thewidth pf 'tli'elbelt ofconveyor 5.7 The cylinder 1,3 is vertically adjustable and this is accomplished by journalingvthe ends of the cylinder shaft v I4 `in sillideh, olrs ,I5 attached to vertical adjustmentscrewsflg havingL hand wheels I1 onthe upper ends tlrereof.v By manipulation of the hand'wheel'sl'l the elevation of the cylinder I3, together with levelingthereof, iseasily accomplished.

The cylinder I3 is provided with a plurality of circumferentially spaced, longitudinally extending rows of radial pins I8; the cylinder I3 being set so that said pins traverse a path, upon rotation of the cylinder, closely adjacent but clear of ghe discharge end of the endless belt conveyor The rotary gate II is driven, in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 1, by means of an electric motor I9 and a pulley and belt assembly, indicated generally at 2U.

When a load of material, such as cut green alfalfa, is dumped from the body d of the truck 3 into the pit I, the endless belt conveyor 5 moves such load toward its discharge end. However, the rotary gate II is so disposed and travels at such a speed as to prevent any surge of material off of the discharge end of the conveyor E. To the contrary the rotary gate II causes discharge of the material from the endless belt conveyor 5 at a constant rate and volume. Thus, although the trucks discharge 'intermittently into the pit I, the discharge from the endless belt conveyor 5 remains constant.

From the endless belt conveyor 5 the material feeds downwardly onto the upper run of a hori- 3 zontal endless belt cross conveyor 2i disposed in a trough 22; the upper run of said cross conveyor traveling in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 2. At its discharge end the cross conveyor 2l delivers onto the upper run of an upwardly inclined endless belt elevator conveyor 23; said upper run being concavely supported by roller units 24.

The elevator conveyor 23 delivers to the dehydrator, and intermediate its ends said elevator conveyor has a rotary, material spreader unit 25 cooperating therewith, and which unit comprises the following:

A pair of horizontal, transversely extending cylinders 2% of relatively small. diameter are journaled in connection with supporting frames 21, and each of said cylinders includes a plurality of longitudinally extending, circumferentially spaced rows of radial pins 28, -which pins traverse a path adjacent but clear of the upper run of the elevator conveyor 23. The uppermost one of the cylinders 2B is mounted for adjustment relative to the conveyor 23 by screw and hand wheel means .29 similar to those employed in connection with the rotary gate ll. The cylinders 26 are coupled together, for simultaneous rotation, by means of an endless pulley and belt assembly 30; one of said cylinders being driven from an electric motor 3| by an endless belt 32. The cylinders 26 rotate, on the side adjacent the upper run of the conveyor 23, in a direction opposite thereto, whereby to produce a certain retarding eiect on the material being carried and elevated by said upper run, and at the same time functioning to spread the material on said upper run to a thickness predetermined mainly by the adjustment of the uppermost cylinder 26. The rotary spreader unit 25 functions to not only serve as a supplementary regulation of the constant feed of the apparatus, but also provides the desirable spreading out of the material on the upper run of the elevator conveyor 23 before such material is delivered into the dehydrator.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that there has been produced such a device as substantially fullls the objects of the invention, as set forth herein.

While this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as set forth herein.

Having thus described the invention, the following is claimed as new and useful and upon which Letters Patent are desired:

Feeding apparatus comprising a driven endless conveyor disposed in position to receive material thereon from above, a driven rotary gate, means mounting the rotary gate in cooperating relation to said conveyor adjacent its discharge end, a second conveyor disposed in a lower plane than the first conveyor and upon which the latter discharges, a driven upwardly inclined endless elevator conveyor adapted to receive and elevate material after its discharge from the second conveyor in a quantity regulated by the rotary gate, and a driven rotary material spreading unit mounted in cooperative relation above the elevator conveyor intermediate its ends, said spreading unit including a pair of spaced, transversely extending cylinders having a multiplicity of pins projecting outwardly therefrom, and means to simultaneously drive said cylinders with the portions thereof adjacent the elevator conveyor traveling in an opposite direction relative to the latter, one or" said cylinders being mounted for adjustment toward or away from the elevator conveyor.

ARTHUR G. SHERMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this fpatent:

UNTTED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 532,623 Wright Jan. 15, 1895 876,896 Carroll Jan. 14, 1908 1,305,607 Johnson June 3, 1919 1,760,490 Grose May 27, 1930 1,863,905 Kuzell June 21, 1932 2,133,396 Neal Oct. 18, 1938 2,230,018 Stromstad Jan. 28, 1941 

